Worth and joseph n



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. MAXI/VELL, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF THREE-TENTHS TO WILLIAM H. CULLING- IVORTH AND JOSEPH N. CULLINGWORTH, OF SAME PLACE.

TELEPHONE-SWITCHBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,012, dated June 16, 1896.

Application filed March 20, 1896. Serial No. 584,192. (No model.)

T at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen S. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Switchboards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a side elevation of one of my switchboards. Fig. II is a top View of four of my switchboards associated together with the drop-boards swung open. Fig. III is a I 5 top View of four switchboards with three of the drop-boards closed. Fig. IVisatop view of a single switchboard open.

This invention relates to telephone-switchboards which are located at what is termed the central station and which are used to connect the lines of the various subscribers in response to their calls; and its object is to enable a single operator to attend a number of boards when business is not crowding, particularly at night and on Sundays and holidays.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a telephone-switchboard hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which 5 represents a table supporting the springjacks or connecting devices 9 for one series of subscribers lines and provided with 5 switch-cords 6, which may terminate with any sort of connecting-plugs 7.

8 represents the shelf or shelves for the switch-cord plugs 7, bounding the space occupied by the spring-jacks 9 on two sides.

10 represents a vertical board supporting the drops 11 and the transmitter 12. This vertical board is hinged at one corner 13 to the table 5 to swing through an arc of a halfcircle around the vertical pivot of the said 5 hinge, so that the face of the board and the drops thereon may be turned outward, as in Fig. II, or inward, as in Fig. III.

The table 5 and the board 10 are both mounted on casters or rollers 14, so that they may be moved on the floor either as a unit to place four or more tables together, as in Fig. II, or so that the vertical board 10 may be swung open or closed like a door on its hinges to open or close the telephone-switchboard. By means of this roller-and-hinge arrangement the tables may be located separately, so as to be attended each by a separate operator seated at 15, as in Fig. IV, or they may be located together, still to be attended by separate operators located severally at 15, as in Fig. II, in which four operators are required, or a number of tables may be located together with all but one of their boards 10 closed as in Fi III when one o erator seated at 15 would be able to reach all the spring-jacks and all the drops of all the four systems there shown. This method of arrangement is not limited in the number of systems that one operator may attend except by his capacity to reach over the boards thus grouped together.

It will be understood that all the line-wires of each system designed for such moving of the switchboards will be arranged loosely to permit such movement. The convenience and economy of this system of arranging telephone switch-tables will. be readily understood. In this case the title switchboard means the table 5, the drop-board 10, and their general attachments and the special attachments above described. It will be further understood that all the boards may be closed when required.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure 8 5 by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. In telephone-switchboards, the combination of a table carrying spring jacks, switches and connecting-plugs, and a board carrying annunciators and a transmitter, the said board and table being hinged together, substantially as described.

2. In telephone-switchboards, the combifnation of a table carrying spring-jacks,

switches and connecting-plugs, and a board 5 carrying annunciators and a transmitter, the said table and board being hinged together and each mounted on rollers, substantially as described.

3. In telephone-switchboards, the combi- I00 nation of a series of separate tables each earthe boards being closed as doors at the sides rying spring-jacks;switches and connectingthereof.

plugs, and a series of boards, each board ear- I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature rying annuneiators and a transmitter, and in presence of two Witnesses.

hinged to a table; the boards and tables be- GEORGE S. MAXXVELL. lug mounted 011 rollers and fitted to be 'itnesses: grouped together substantially as described R. J. ACORE, Jr.,

whereby a group of tables may be ineased by FRED \V. (JoLLoToN. 

